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DIY Green Tea and Tea Tree Oil Facial Toner

In my last post I wrote about Apothecary Extract’s 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil and the versatility of tea tree oil. Today I’m sharing my favourite homemade beauty recipe using tea tree oil, a refreshing and clarifying facial toner.

This Green Tea and Tea Tree Oil toner is great for everyday use (especially in the AM!) if you are looking for a fresh, blemish free face. Green tea brightens your complexion and reduces inflammation, while tea tree oil, a natural bacteria fighter, work together with witch hazel to cleanse and clarify. With the addition of soothing lavender, healing bergamot, and balancing jasmine, this toner is an all around winner. If you suffer from breakouts or oily skin, or need a skin wake-me-up , this is for you!

Ingredients

a dark colored or opaque 8 oz/250 ml bottle

1/4 cup witch hazel

10 drops tea tree oil

3 drops jasmine oil

3 drops bergamot oil

3 drops lavender oil

1 cup green tea, cooled to room temperature

The bottle you use to store this toner must be dark colored (forest green, navy, brown) or opaque in order to preserve the integrity of the tea tree oil, which reacts to light. Either a spray nozzle or a regular cap will do. I re-used my empty spray bottle from Lush, which is perfect because it is black. This was a bottle of Tea Tree Water, which I enjoyed using – but I find that this homemade recipe is even better!

First, pour the witch hazel into your clean and dry bottle. Any kind of alcohol-free witch hazel will do; I used Thayer’s in Cucumber (yum!!). Then, carefully add in each essential oil. If any of your oils come in a carrier oil (for example, my jasmine absolute oil was in a jojoba base), add twice as much. Finally, pour in the green tea until the bottle is full. You may have some left over – drink or discard. I used Yamamotoyama Jasmine Green Tea, though most kinds of green tea will do, as long as it doesn’t carry fine particles (such as matcha). Shake well. Although it is not necessary, you may store it in the refrigerator for an especially refreshing toner experience.

Enjoy on a cotton pad after cleaning, or spritzed on face any time of the day. Soaked cotton rounds over the eyes will give you an instant perk up to eye baggies and dark circles.

If you’re curious about the properties of these ingredients, check out Organic Facts.